Klopp reveals private jet meeting that failed to lure Mbappe away from PSG to Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Liverpool made a serious attempt to sign Kylian Mbappe while the forward was still at Monaco, revealing the club flew the player’s entire family on a private jet in an elaborate — and ultimately fruitless — courtship.

Speaking during MagentaTV’s coverage of France’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Morocco, Klopp described the extraordinary lengths Liverpool went to in their pursuit. “The most expensive non-transfer we invested in,” the former Reds manager said. “We flew from Blackpool to Nice. In Nice, the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something. We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food. We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris.”

Mbappe signed for Paris Saint-Germain rather than Liverpool, and has since moved to Real Madrid, where he has scored 86 goals in 103 appearances. He is currently leading the World Cup Golden Boot race with eight goals.

Klopp’s admission ends years of speculation about whether Liverpool had genuinely pursued one of football’s most coveted talents. The German’s candid account paints a picture of a club that spared no expense in trying to convince Mbappe and his family, only to be outmanoeuvred by PSG’s financial firepower.

In a separate revelation, Paris FC winger Moses Simon has disclosed that he came close to joining Liverpool on two occasions between 2016 and 2018. The 30-year-old Nigerian international, who spent the majority of his career at Nantes before moving to Paris FC last season, says a dip in form during that period was partly driven by his desire to secure a big move.

“From 2016 to 2018, I dropped in form because I wanted to make a transfer,” Simon told Urban Dwell Sport. “Liverpool wanted to sign me, I think Hull City, Fulham, Brighton, Tottenham, and Lyon also. We played against them in the Europa League in 2017. But, you know, when you read all this in the newspapers, some are true while some are rumours. So the first year, I didn’t make it. I didn’t get a transfer. The second year, I was supposed to go to Liverpool. It didn’t work.”

Simon’s comments add further colour to a period in which Liverpool, under Klopp, were casting a wide net in the transfer market before the club’s recruitment strategy crystallised around the signings that would eventually deliver a Premier League title and Champions League trophy.

Back in the present, Liverpool are preparing for a summer of transition under new head coach Andoni Iraola, who has replaced Klopp’s successor Arne Slot. The club’s only confirmed signing so far is Victor Munoz from Osasuna, though further activity in the transfer window is expected before the new season begins.